Relief

Connected Systems Design

A system of connected devices to manage chronic pain

OVERVIEW

RELIEF helps individuals manage chronic back pain and improve quality of life through a series of connected devices—Kinesiology/EMG tape (speculative), Smart Watch and Pain Tracking App. These devices work together to:

monitor muscle tension

provide targeted exercise tips to prevent flare-ups

track pain reporting to customize pain management based on the individual’s behaviors and needs.

skills

Systems Design, Conceptual Mapping, Wireframes, Visual Design

TOOLS

Sketch, Illustrator, Overflow, InVision

ADVISOR

Jorge Arango

TIMELINE

3 weeks

Final Products

Mobile app & smart watch flows | SYSTEM mapPING

Pain Tracker

An integrated system of wearables and devices to track muscle tension, record pain intensity, and access exercise tips and physical therapy.

Relief Tape is a speculative design that is worn on painful areas of the body and tracks muscle tension via electromyography (EMG).

Data Visualization

Dive deeper into your Dashboard to see how Relief Tape’s data connects with your pain reports throughout the day.

Make changes to your daily habits to reduce pain or reach out to your physical therapist for professional support.

Stretch and Exercise Tips

Get recommendations for stretches and exercises to ease pain and muscle tension.

Relief App learns about your pain levels, alerts you when muscle tension is high, and provides comprehensive data to help you manage your pain.

Research

user interviews| experience maps | concept maps

THE CHALLENGE

Chronic pain is a health issue affecting millions of Americans

Chronic pain affects an individual’s overall quality of life and is the leading cause of job-related disability and productivity loss.

Source: National Institute of Health

USER RESEARCH SNAPSHOT

David experiences chronic pain from previous sports injuries

David is a 32-year-old male with chronic lower back and shoulder pain. His condition is both genetic (his dad also suffers from chronic back pain) and a result of residual injuries from playing lacrosse in high school and college.

USER EXPERIENCE MAP

Throughout the day his experience of pain differs by hour and activity

CURRENT SYSTEM

David mainly relies on himself to manage his condition

INSIGHTS FROM USER RESEARCH

Pain is subjective and hard to measure

INSIGHT 1

“Intense” pain for one individual could be classified as “mild” for another.

There is currently no reliable method of objectively quantifying an individual’s experience of pain. Doctors rely on the patient’s subjective report.

INSIGHT 3

David needs to expand his support network for long-term care.

He will need to shift his mental framework from short-term fixes in order to stop his chronic pain from getting progressively worse.

INSIGHT 2

Coping mechanisms tend to be reactive, rather than preventive.

David takes painkillers and exercises to maintain his pain at a manageable baseline level. He has not pursued other methods to reduce the pain or prevent it from worsening.

How might we help an individual manage their pain by raising their awareness to prevent and treat acute symptoms before they worsen?

Concept Ideation

Speculative design | Sketching | wireframes

data tracking

To promote adoption, I wanted to design an experience that would easily integrate with David’s current habits. The mobile and smart watch app tracks data from Relief Tape and his physical activity then sends alerts and asks for feedback.

Relief Tape = EMG + Kinesiology tape

As a speculative design, I combined the technology from EMG with Kinesiology Tape as a new hybrid wearable that can measure muscle tension and provide pain relief in problem areas.

Lessons Learned

NEXT STEPS

More user testing is needed. In a future iteration, I would build a working prototype of Relief Tape using Arduino and EMG sensors to test with David and other users.

REFLECTION

Feedback is the critical missing piece. My first iterations provided objective data reporting, but I needed to incorporate user feedback (e.g., self-reporting of pain intensity) to show a more holistic view of the individuals’s pain experience over time.